October 2015

29 October 2015

Leading retailer Tommy Hilfiger announced Tuesday that it will introduce a virtual reality shopping experience at select stores and wholesale partners worldwide, where consumers will be invited to watch the Fall 2015 Hilfiger Collection runway show in three-dimensional, 360 degree virtual reality.

Twitter has been going through a lot of changes lately. The company has a new-old CEO, a new product to lure more casual users and new ad formats to sell to brands. What hasn't changed is its quarterly earnings story.

German automaker BMW is using mobile streaming application Periscope to have fans “choose [their] own destination.”

BMW recently turned to Periscope to launch its M2 model, and now the automaker has used the platform to debut its first-ever live-action adventure, #X1WhatsNext. The adventure allowed enthusiasts to control movements and decisions via Periscope live voting throughout the day on Oct. 28.

22 October 2015

The days of loud videos screaming from your Facebook news feed in awkward situations appears to be over, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have all decided to mute videos as a default setting. Martin Sorrell has suggested that 50% of all online video is viewed without sound, meaning brands and agencies need to align their strategies to influence on a purely visual basis. Or face the ever increasing risk of their video being lost on crowded silent news feeds.

Recently twitter has voiced its concerns that last click attribution is an inaccurate reflection of what’s driving results since the average consumer switches between multiple devices and platforms before making a purchase. The perhaps the contribution of clicks and views for a mobile advertising campaign is more important.

15 October 2015

Facebook is trying to steal some of Twitter's thunder, aiming to be the first choice among second-screen viewers, people who watch TV and engage on social media at the same time. So, Facebook—with its 213 million monthly active users in the U.S.—announced new tools aimed at helping TV producers better engage audiences during live broadcasts.

Snapchat hopes to make a significant uptick in marketing palatable to users with an opt-in approach, but its biggest challenge is helping marketers measure the return on their investments. The picture messaging application’s popularity has allowed it to grow into a successful business, and as with every new medium’s progression, it has accepted various advertising endeavors to sustain revenue. Snapchat’s ad efforts have been innovative and unique, a necessary tactic to keep its substantial user foundation, as well as provide effective ad ventures marketers.

Tesla has launched a software update for its vehicles - enabling the cars to have an "autopilot" mode. While not fully self-driving, the software means the Model S and new Model X can "automatically steer down the highway, change lanes, and adjust speed in response to traffic".

08 October 2015

In September, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made some waves when he hinted Facebook was working on a way to expand its famous Like button — not by adding the much-fabled “dislike” option, but by making it way more empathetic, expressing sadness and other emotions. Today, Facebook is taking the wraps off what form the new Like may take. It is rolling out “Reactions,” a new set of six emoji that will sit alongside the original thumbs-up to let users quickly respond with love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger.

Verizon is set to up its ad game by combining its controversial mobile tracking ‘super cookies’ with the extensive AOL ad network.

Following Verizon acquiring the media giant for $4.4bn in May, it will merge its Relevant Mobile Advertising and Verizon Selects programmes into the AOL Advertising Network. The move will bring together Verizon's database of customer details and their online browsing data (tracked by the super cookie unique identifier code marks) to more accurately serve them appropriate adverts.

01 October 2015

iBeacons are at risk of going the way of QR codes, but a new software platform from Google might finally make the tech more appealing to marketers.Last month, Google unveiled Eddystone, a software platform for Bluetooth beacons that marks a serious push into the Internet of Things. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons are small devices that use Bluetooth tech to trigger notifications or other actions to a nearby smartphone or device. Google’s open-source platform represents the firm’s next step in ‘the physical web’.

YouTube might be launching its long-awaited subscription service as soon as the end of October, according to Recode. Google's video website already sent out emails to content owners, asking them to agree to the terms for a "new ads-free version of YouTube" by October 22nd. Just like earlier reports revealed, if providers refuse to get on board, their catalogues will "no longer be available for public display or monetization in the United States." The service won't just flush out ads from videos, though: Recode says the company's $10-a-month offering also comes bundled with Music Key, the website's music streaming product that features offline access, background playback and more.

Twitter users may soon be able to tweet more than just 140 characters at a time, a new report suggests. According to Re/Code, the social network is working on a new product that will allow its users to tweet beyond the 140-character limit. Although the report notes users will be able to publish "long-form content to the service," it's unclear how exactly this would work. Existing services such as OneShot or TwitLonger allows users a way to share long messages to the site; OneShot uses an image and TwitLonger links to an outside page and includes a continued note in the tweet to keep on reading.